In 2015, Global Thinkers Forum and the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs hosted the conference “Democracy and Values: How Democratic Societies Foster Shared Values and Hold Leaders to Account”. The event took place in Athens, Greece, on April 25 2015. The symbolic backdrop for this discussion was Athens, Greece – the birthplace of Democracy. The Conference was under the auspices of the Mayor of Athens HE Mr Yorgos Kaminis.

The Global Thinkers Forum – Carnegie Council Conference in Athens was an intensive, multi-phased dialogue with 140+ Greek academics, public officials, business leaders, activists, students, and citizens. With their support, we pursued ethical questions that lie at the heart of the Greek tradition of democracy and develop a new understanding of global citizenship that transcends national borders. The retreat of virtue has become the plague of our times. Greed is legitimate; to have riches however obtained, including outrageous bonuses or avoiding tax, is the only game in town. But across the west the consequences are becoming more obvious. Politics, business and finance have become blighted to the point that they are dysfunctional, with a now huge gap in trust between the elite and the people. How shall we hold leaders accountable?

The conference included speakers from Carnegie Council’s Global Ethics Network and draw on Greece’s rich Hellenic culture and philosophical tradition to help professionals and the public better understand and tackle contemporary democratic challenges. Carnegie Council sent a delegation from its Board and senior staff. More details here

Video Highlights

Athens Democracy Forum

GTF was proud to be media partner of the Athens Democracy Forum, organized by the International New York Times in Athens on September 13-15th. The Forum was endorsed by UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon and brought together speakers and delegates who are experts in their fields of politics, academia, human rights, the law, NGOs, journalists as well as corporate executives committed to CSR issues.

Participants discussed three main challenges that leaders face in today’s globalized and digital world: 1) the growing inequality in our world (both income and social); 2) technology and the fact that its pace of change is much faster than what our institutions can cope with; 3) the polarization of society manifested by the rise of political parties of the extreme left and right on the one hand and extremist interpretations of various ideologies.
More about the event here.